Woodbury resident Patrick Donaghy grew up in Long Beach, N.Y., where Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc Monday.

His mother still lives there, and was forced to evacuate the city.

“She probably lost all her possessions,” Donaghy said.

Donaghy, 37, a local youth lacrosse coach and former Woodbury High School assistant coach, said his mother lives about a block from the ocean, and he could see glimpses of her neighborhood during television coverage of the storm.

“It’s really sad,” he said. “You kind of wish you were there to help out, even though you wouldn’t be able to really do anything.”

At least 16 people died in the northeast area of the U.S. as a result of the storm, according to the Chicago Tribune. Millions of others were affected by the massive storm, the New York Times reported.

Keeping track of family and friends has been difficult, Donaghy said, as cell phone service is out for much of the region. People have taken to social media to keep in touch, he said.

“It’s strange seeing all the destruction,” Donaghy said. “I feel like half the town is going to be wiped out.”

People weren’t being let back into the city, Donaghy told Patch on Tuesday afternoon, and the water in Long Beach still wasn’t potable.

“There’s a lot of basic necessities that just aren’t there,” he said.

Donaghy’s brother, who lives in Lido Beach, was more fortunate. That city is higher above sea level than Long Beach and he wasn’t forced to evacuate, Donaghy said.

“You’re just sad to see everything happen,” he said.

Still, Donaghy said residents in Long Beach “don’t worry that much.”

“They just deal with it,” he said.

For more coverage of the storm, visit Patch sites on the East Coast.

Other Connections to Sandy

On our Facebook page, Woodbury Patch asked about local ties to the storm:

Tracy: My son is an intern in Betty McCollum's DC office, and he was off work for two days. He said "DC is eerily quiet"

Diane: Our son and grandson live in Manhattan. They are fine, however their ocean front house on fire island is still a question.

Andrea: My oldest is at school in mid Manhattan......no power or water right and not sure for how long but doing okay!

Kristi (via email): Bill Pooler, longtime resident of Woodbury and retired Woodbury firefighter, grew up on Long Island and his brother and his brother's family still live there. They live in Nesconset which is about mid island on LI. We finally heard from him yesterday afternoon and all are OK, had some property damage and some scary times throughout the storm. They are without power and water and have been told it will most likely be one week. His brother is a retired Port Authority Police Officer, he retired after 9/11. He was there that day.

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